Archive for the Lifestyle Category

A welcome addition to the cluster of vintage stores sprouting up around Manchester’s Northern Quarter, Blue Rinse is a neat, compact, beneath-the-pavement shop peeping out onto Tib Street. It stocks all of the essential ingredients of the formulaic retro offering, similar to, say, Ryan’s Vintage, but minus the clutter. Split almost in half between pretty dresses and accessories for the ladies, and funky indie and sport chic for the lads, it is a cosy setting for both trendy boys and girls to root out hidden gems.

Alongside the mandatory neckerchiefs and plimsoles, there are to be unearthed quirky printed tees (Michael Jackson and The Modern Lovers being particularly hip), beside stretchy patterned vests and even sleeveless denim jackets. The shop is smartly compartmentalised, and so is simple to navigate, yet chaotic enough to add that necessary rock n’ roll tinge.

The original Blue Rinse shop was established in Leeds in 1997, cottoning on to the idea that a rise in cheap, conveyor belt clothing was harnessing within the cunning fashionista a desire for the return of the classic and sustainable vintage ideal. It has thus pioneered the vintage revival that has engulfed the last decade, and now, luckily for us, has decided to disperse its troops across to Manchester. Not only does Blue Rinse advocate vintage, it has also adopted the notion of ‘re-made’ clothing, in essence the transformation of vintage garments into new designs, and ‘new clothing’, which is the use of contemporary fabrics to create its own unique lines.

To sum up, Blue Rinse is an exciting new little fixture on the Northern Quarter’s trendy streets, adding to an already burgeoning vintage scene but bringing its own dynamic ideas and honourable values. A sure-fire hit pocketed away within the fashion epicentre of Manchester city centre.